Brandon Penny is the epitome of how at Fort Hays State University, we unlock untapped potential \u2013 just ask our Art and Design Department chair, Karrie Simpson Voth. Soon after graduation in 2013, Brandon, a graphic design major from Burlington, Colo., decided to pick-up and move to New York City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
New York City? Yes \u2013 and\nwith no job. Karrie said she was terrified for him and thought New York would \u201ceat\nhim up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But she was wrong, because\nshe and others had prepared him to succeed by seeing his potential and\ninspiring him to live up to it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brandon will tell you that\nearning his degree in graphic design was the smartest decision of his career.\nHe describes the experience as \u201cthe most intensive and thorough program I have\never completed.\u201d He also says that he welcomed the challenge. \u201cSome of my\nhappiest memories come from late nights spent in Rarick Hall with the most\ncreative people I\u2019ve ever met. It was there I gained my drive and skill set.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The funny thing about unlocking potential is that although the drive always comes from within the student, it is still about relationships. Most importantly, it is about helping students discover and refine their<\/em> talents and passions. The student comes first, not the major. It is about listening, learning and holding up a metaphorical mirror. It is about really seeing each unique Fort Hays State student. The process can come from one person or many (professors, peers, staff). It can come from assignments and campus involvement and be amplified by experiences both on and off campus (internships, community service, churches).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Brandon describes his unlocking:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI made countless lifelong friends in my general education courses and truly learned from professors because they cared about the material and my success. My freshman year I had a scholarship and was Victor E. Tiger. I was also an active member in theatre at Felten-Start, performing on stage and designing the posters and programs for each show. I wasn\u2019t just a number; I was a student that mattered with a name and a story. I am now a well-rounded person that exceeds standards and qualifications and can withstand any obstacles that come my way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not only can Brandon\nwithstand obstacles, his self-reliance and talent proved unstoppable \u2013 even in\nNew York. With a larger-than-life personality, confidence in his design skills\nand an outstanding portfolio, Brandon networked his way into the New York\ndesign scene by freelancing with The Society of Publication Designers. Shortly\nthereafter, he landed the first-ever design internship with Billboard Magazine\nand was later recruited to work in the design and photo departments at People\nMagazine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Brandon credits many for his metamorphosis \u2013 especially Karrie. She is very invested in the lives of her students and cares deeply about each student with whom she works \u2013 their dreams, hopes and ambitions. Brandon and Karrie continue to keep in touch. Fun fact: Every year, Brandon sends Karrie a personalized video of him singing Happy Birthday as well as a Happy Mother\u2019s Day text.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is so much I love\nabout Brandon\u2019s story: the friendships he developed here; his on-campus\ninvolvement; the joy he brought others, whether through creating late night\nmemories in Rarick Hall or through his interactions as Victor E. Tiger and the\nmany roles played in Felten-Start Theatre; and especially the young\nprofessional he became. Today, he is a member of the creative team as a graphic\ndesigner for Saks Fifth Avenue in New York. An icon of style and luxury, Saks\nis a legendary company with a rich history that employs world-class adventurers,\nlike Brandon Penny, who explore uncharted territory, challenge convention and\nwork with imagination and fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And it all started at Fort\nHays State.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Brandon says that ultimately, what he loved about his time at Fort Hays State is that after graduation, he walked away with an amazing portfolio of work and something to look forward to: A bright future. That is what it means to unlock untapped potential, and it is my hope and dream for every student.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tisa Mason is president of Fort Hays State University.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Brandon Penny is the epitome of how at Fort Hays State University, we unlock untapped potential \u2013 just ask our Art and Design Department chair,… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":37698,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[55],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44727","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinion"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Mason-Tisa-040A6662.jpg?fit=750%2C1050&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44727","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=44727"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44727\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44728,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44727\/revisions\/44728"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/37698"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=44727"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=44727"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=44727"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}